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Fertility control
Use of emergency contraceptive pill by 15-year-old girls: results from the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study
Article first published online: 18 JUN 2010
DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02637.x
© 2010 The Authors Journal compilation © RCOG 2010 BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Issue
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Volume 117, Issue 10, pages 1197–1204, September 2010
Additional Information
How to Cite
Gaudineau, A., Ehlinger, V., Gabhainn, S. N., Vayssiere, C., Arnaud, C. and Godeau, E. (2010), Use of emergency contraceptive pill by 15-year-old girls: results from the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 117: 1197–1204. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02637.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 16 AUG 2010
- Article first published online: 18 JUN 2010
- Accepted 7 May 2010. Published Online 18 June 2010.
- Abstract
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Keywords:
- Adolescents;
- contraceptive behaviour;
- emergency contraceptive pill
Please cite this paper as: Gaudineau A, Ehlinger V, Nic Gabhainn S, Vayssiere C, Arnaud C, Godeau E. Use of emergency contraceptive pill by 15-year-old girls: results from the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. BJOG 2010;117:1197–1204.
Objective To describe emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) use and variation across countries/regions; and to explore personal and contextual factors associated with ECP use and differences across countries/regions.
Design Data were obtained from 11 countries/regions in the 2006 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children cross-sectional study.
Setting Data were collected by self-report questionnaire in school classrooms.
Population The analysis is based on 2118 sexually active 15-year-old girls.
Methods Contraceptive behaviours were compared across countries/regions by chi-square tests. Individual factors related to ECP use were investigated with separate logistic regression models. Multilevel random-intercept models allowed the investigation of individual and contextual effects, by partitioning the variance into student, school and country/region levels.
Main outcome measures ECP use at last sexual intercourse.
Results ECP use rate varied significantly across countries/regions. Poor communication with at least one adult (odds ratio [OR] 1.62 [1.12–2.36], P = 0.011) and daily smoking (OR 1.46 [1.00–2.11], P = 0.048) were independently associated with ECP use in comparison with condom and/or birth-control pill use. Sexual initiation at 14 years or later (OR 2.02 [1.04–3.93], P = 0.039), good perceived academic achievement (OR 1.69 [1.04–2.75], P = 0.035) and daily smoking (OR 1.63 [1.01–2.64], P = 0.045) were associated with higher levels of ECP use in comparison with unprotected girls. The country-level variance remained significant in both comparisons.
Conclusions These data document the large heterogeneity in rates of ECP use between countries/regions. These differences could not be explained by individual or contextual factors, and raise further questions in relation to ECP access for adolescents and their education in its appropriate use.